with a side of bike & run

It’s Official: I’m Dropping Out of the 2010 Chicago Marathon

I’ve avoided this post for quite some time because I didn’t want to have to write or explain to anyone that I was quitting anything, let alone a marathon! Sadly, it’s true, I’m dropping out of the 2010 Chicago Marathon. The long and short of it is, my knee injury which forced me to miss over five weeks of training, has left me feeling extremely under prepared for this race. On top of that, I missed two long runs due to extenuating circumstances. UGH.

CM10 was supposed to be my come back race after last year’s horrible Marine Corps Marathon ordeal. When I sat down and thought about what CM10 would be like with a minimal training base, that’s when nightmares of MCM ’09 flashed into my head. I know I could suck it up and get through 26.2 miles with minimal training, but what would I really be accomplishing here? Another miserable experience that would make me (temporarily) hate running? No, unfortunately, it’s not worth it. Sadly, the Chicago Marathon doesn’t allow runners to defer their numbers to the following year, so I’ve lost my entry fee, and probably won’t be running this race anytime in the near future. Bummer.

So, what am I going to do with all of my free time? More cross training: Core Fusion, spin, bootcamp, gravity work, injury prevention workouts, winter sports like skiing and snow shoeing and finally, YOGA. I’m also going to try to fill up my schedule with shorter races to work on speed and make an event of them with friends. Finally, I’m going to focus on nutrition, trying to stay aware of portion sizes and exactly what I’m eating and how it makes me feel. The fall and winter are chock full of holiday dining events where I traditionally allow myself to eat whatever I want by resigning myself to the holiday bulge. This year I can’t promise that I won’t give in to delicious treats, but at least I’ll stay a bit more aware of these.

This was a difficult decision to make, but I know it’s the right one. Stay tuned for my next adventures…!

Comments

sounds like you made a very smart decision! some people would choose to run a marathon undertrained, but i would do the same as you. 26.2 miles is a LONG way to go, and really it would just be torture being underprepared, its hard enough when you are prepared. i know that decision was not easy to make, but sounds like you have some great things ahead 🙂

Aron, thanks so much for such a supportive comment! Hopefully my next marathon will be as good of an experience as NYC ’08, I had so much fun! I’m really hoping to get back to that runners high over 26.2 miles…someday it will come back! 🙂

Chanthana, I am SO sad I’m missing this! Hopefully you will have an A-MAZING race and perhaps you will be running Boston sometime soon?! I’m sure will meet at some point. Best of luck in your race and I will be tracking you on 10-10-10!

Trackbacks

[…] running. I love marathons, but my experience at MCM and then my injury that eventually led to dropping out of the Chicago Marathon, has caused me to feel a bit burnt out on running for longer than an hour. I just want to get the […]

[…] This past Saturday I set out to log my first long run of San Francisco Marathon training. I wasn’t nervous going into this run, but I have to admit, there is a bit of fear and apprehension as I begin this training cycle. I’ve had a frustrating past two years when it comes to the 26.2 distance: one heartbreaking Marine Corps marathon where my four months of hard work fell apart in the first few miles, and then an injury a few weeks into training forced me to withdraw from the Chicago marathon. […]